Chennai records most drunken driving fatalities: NCRB

In fact, Chennai, in particular, recorded the highest number of drunk driving deaths in the country in 2020, according to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) report. Among 53 megacities in the country, more than 50 per cent of fatalities due to driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol were reported in Chennai with 236 out of 462 deaths last year. The city accounted for 83% of the total fatalities due to driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol in the State (283 deaths).

One in four traffic fatalities in Chennai, which recorded the second-highest number of traffic fatalities among the cities in 2020, was due to driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol.

On the contrary, driving licences suspended by the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety for drunken driving came down in 2020 to 7,290 from 20,212 in 2019. The number of licences suspended in 2018 was 45,113 while it was 30,393 in 2017.

Sources in the Transport Department said that the overall number of accidents and fatalities came down in 2020 when compared to 2019. “There is no specific reason as to why the fatalities involving driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol have gone up,” the official said. When asked about less number of driving licences suspended for drunken driving compared to previous years, the official said that enforcement of the motor vehicles rules was impacted due to diversions for COVID-related work.